Lexus RC F Performance Coupe: 460 BHP V8 & BMW M4 Rival

This is a discussion on Lexus RC F Performance Coupe: 460 BHP V8 & BMW M4 Rival within The International Automotive Scene, part of the BHP Worldwide category; http://www.carscoops.com/2014/01/new...oupe-with.html
A recently leaked set of photographs has revealed the much awaited BMW M4 rivalling Lexus RC F Coupe. Although ...

A recently leaked set of photographs has revealed the much awaited BMW M4 rivalling Lexus RC F Coupe. Although most details are yet to surface, this brawny Lexus will sport a new V8 engine producing 460 horsepower, up from the outgoing IS F four-door sedan's 416 horsepower.

As a production car, I think it does complete justice to the new L-finesse design language Lexus has been embracing lately. It looks blisteringly marvelous. Loved the overall sustained aggression, the compact headlamps and the stacked tailpipes, the last feature being a Lexus F trademark design element. The interior, however, looks typically conservative, yet contemporary, minimal and understated. Lovely indeed!

I guess this design language (if there is one) is too loud for the Lexus brand, probably worthy of being a Scion, but not a lexus. Coming from the very matured, elegant and understated designs (read boring) that Lexus was known for.

A new bunch of photographs have been released by Lexus. This has to be the tartiest Lexus we've seen in ages. It's the perfect blend of classic coupe proportions coupled with contemporary aggression/detailing.

Lexus is clearly targeting the younger spectrum of the market with the RC-F. The aggressive angles and contours suggest in addition to the finer details, be it the lights or sculpted the fenders, every aspect of the car has been designed to show aggression.
The converging stacked exhaust pipes are a fantastic touch, in my opinion.
Lexus seems to be trying to shake off the stereotype of being just luxurious bland looking barges. It will be an interesting time ahead to see how this works out for them!

“I've built RC F to be enjoyed by all enthusiasts – no matter what their level of expertise,”

- Yukihiko Yaguchi, RC F chief engineer.

More on the RC-F's oily bits: Lexus won't give out specific output numbers yet, stating that the naturally-aspirated V8 delivers more than 450-horses and over 383 lb-ft (519Nm) of peak torque, being just a bunch of horses over the M4, 25 at the least. The BMW generates a few more torques at 406 lb-ft.

Lexus points out that it'll do the 0-100 km/h sprint faster than the IS-F(!), which at 4.6 seconds is fairly quick. The car will be electronically limited to 168mph, about 270 km/h.

But more interestingly, the motor has been designed to run on the efficiency inducing Atkinson cycle at low speeds, then switch to the more regular Otto cycle for outright performance at higher speeds.

Lexus RC350

If some of you guys think that the RC-F is too shouty for a Lexus, take a look at it's sober counterpart, the RC350. This one gets a 3.5 litre V6, a eight speed sequential transmission, and is supposed to take on the 4 Series Coupes. This is a really smart looking Lexus, no two ways about it.